Goodbye 2013

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

A rather late reflection but one nether the less, 2013 has
been the beginning of a happier and even more confident me. I won’t bore with
detailing the in’s and out’s but I can safely say I met the best people, gained
the most amazing experiences and finally settled in a place that I can call
home. ( I hope I've kept this brief and readable.)

The beginning of the year revolved around the big move to
London to start interning with Anna Scholz and the New Look Inspire team. 6 months of no wage is a daunting thought as
it is but by saving throughout 2012 and help from my parents I got through. Of
course I can’t say one bad word about any of my placements, each teaching me
completely different things and pursuing my interest with in the plus size
industry. I met amazing inspiring people
and have taken on so much more knowledge than I didn't know previous. I was also lucky to work on the British Plus Size Fashion weekend along with many other projects revolving around the plus size industry.

With no
wage and no savings left by July, I had to make the dreaded move back to South
Wales. Fortunately I have the most amazing bunch of friends who eased the pain A
LOT. I applied for jobs the whole month of July solid and was lucky to get one
within a call center. To clear something’s up, NO it’s nothing like working at
the ‘call center’ on BBC, but yes it is probably the easiest and funniest job
to have. I went through 6 weeks of training with some of the best people, each
day was a giggle. Passing all tests, I was on my way to pass probation when I
had an email calling me to London for an interview with Anna Scholz. Now don’t
get me wrong being back home was great, no rent to pay, I was lucky to have met
an amazing man , I had all my friends near and even more fortunate it was
SUMMER but it still couldn't take away the disappointment I wasn't in London.
After coming from the interview, I had to wait a few days to find out if I got
the job. Hiding it from people was a nightmare; I couldn't face the embarrassment
if I was unfortunate to not get the job. Of course this wasn't’t the case and a
few days later I received the news I was coming back to London, working in a
job and with a company/team that I grew to love previous months before.

Getting the job meant moving back to London and looking for a place to live. No way was I making the same mistake
as last time and living with a living nightmare. As if by fate, two internet
friends (my now flatmates) were looking to move, so our adventure as a
threesome (HEY!) began. Two weeks to find somewhere to live, find the deposit
and first month’s rent and to actually move, yeah did I say adventure? I meant
challenge. Our fairy god mother answered
our preys and we found the purple palace. The moment we stepped in we immediately
wanted It, it had nothing to do with the fact the whole kitchen is purple
honest! Along with this stress/excitement, me and the amazing man (yeah I pretty much had everything I wanted in one person :( ) parted ways,
the reality of me being 100 miles away
working mon-fri 9-5, whilst he was still at uni and working in a bar just wasn't
do able. Another one for the failed romances (swear I should write a book,
Michaela: her complicated and ridiculous love life,) I am still fortunate to keep in touch
though (we have way too much in common not to.) Anyway where was I, the Purple
Palace. The last two months couldn't have been more enjoyable. Living with two
friends who are more like sisters, the stories we could tell already would fill
a book. Drunken adventures, fashion faux pas, accidents, boy troubles,
blasting music, and that was just NYE. I've truly found a place I can most definitely
call home for a while. My contracts on a temporary maternity cover at the moment
but I just know I’ll be in London no matter where I’ll be working for a few
years to come, 2014 no exception.

I won’t bore you any longer but I will be
scheduling a post with my resolutions up, none have been broken so far (1 week
down.) Anyway to close up, I truly hope everyone’s 2013 has been as
incredible as mine. I've grown in confidence, have an amazing support group
around me and can only feel myself growing in 2014. I tend to reflect back to when I was 18 and can't believe how in 5 years everything's changed and I'm living the the life I could only dream of.